12-12-1987 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Establishing Priorities The three major items to consider in developing a lot are the loca*ions of the house, water supply well, and the sewage treatment system. Usually ma jor concerns to the owner of an unde veloped lot are the location, aspect* view, and type of house proposed. However, additional projected improve ments including a driveway, garage, patio, or swimming pool may conflict with the area most suited for on site sewage treatment. It is important that the site evaluation for the treatment system be discussed at an early stage in the development plans for the lot. It is a rare instance where each of the desired improvements can be lo cated exactly where the lot purchaser wants. Priorities will have to be estab lished and tradeoffs are inevitable. All of this should be discussed before the physical investigation of the actual site for the sewage treatment system. After lot boundaries have been es tablished. the process of selecting loca tions for the various improvements begins. A careful evaluation should be made of topo^^aphy, land forms, vege tation (including large trees the owner may want to preserve, or cattails which indicate a high watertable), drainage- ways. recent construction activities which may have disturbed or removed the top soil, and any physical features atfecting the site (figure 1). Notice the location of agricultural drain tiles on the lot. These were installed to reduce the leyel of saturated zones of water in the soils below the rooting depth of plants. This means that under normal conditions the soils have excess water during wet periods which can reduce c.'op growth and yields. It is important to maintain the drainage provided by this tile to avoid ai^.y future wetness problems. For example, if a basement were excavated in one of the tile lines, it could mean a basement full of water in the next hard rain. Both the owner and site evaluator should have a plan on paper which can be tested against the actual lot. Since it is much easier to remove lines on paper than to physically move struc tures, water wells, or other improve ments. this is the time to determine suitability of the proposed locaticn^s (figure 2). Before the site evaluator makes the first boring, all of the pre liminary planning mentioned hero should be completed. Figure 1. Topography of lot using 2 foot contours to emphasize significant landscape differences. Figure 2. Homeowner's original concept of where the improvements should be located on the lot. Two potential treatm nt system sites are indicated. (Lot concept plan) J^AD CENTERUNE i